Buffing wheel



P. E. GQOLEY.

BUFFING WHEEL.

APPLICATION FILED Nov, 6, 1920.

1,431,157,; muted 06115.10, 1922.

Patented @ct. lil), i922.

PHILIP E. GUOLEY, 01E SYRACUSE, NEW YORK.

E UFEING WHEEL.

Application filed November 6, 1920. Serial No. 422,234.

To (125 whom it may concern Be it .known that I, PHILIP E. GooLEY, of Syracuse, in the county of Onondaga, in the State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Buffing Wheels, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to certain improvements in bufiing wheels of laminated fabric type in which the several layers are firmly stitched together to form a unitary structure. An abrasive paste is usually applied to the periphery of wheels of this character for burnishin and polishing purposes and while the polishing surface must be sufficiently flexible to enable it to contact with the varying contours of the article operated upon, it must also possess sufficient resistance to enable it to withstand the pressure necessary to produce the desired burnishing or polishing efi'ect and, at the same time, retain its circular form and thickness or face width and also to retain a sufficient quantity of the abrasive paste evenly distributed over the surface thereof for efficient burnishing without too frequent reapplication of the paste thereto.

This retention of the paste on the periphery of the wheel, together with the flexibility and necessary resistance to pressure thereon, is found to be most effective by making each layer of a series of relatively small fabric pieces, folded and arranged in such manner that their folds will form a series of pockets extending circumferentiall around the periphery with the closed sides of the pockets facing in a direction opposite to the direction of rotation of the wheel, so as to prevent piling up and centrifugal discharge of the abrasive paste, when the rotating wheel is applied to the work, thereby producing more even distribution of the paste around the entire periphery of the wheel, while the pockets formed by the folds serve as .reservoirs for relatively small portions of the paste to maintain a supply thereof at the periphery for a lon or period of service than would be possib e without the use of the folds.

I am aware thatbufiing wheels of this character have heretofore been constructed form pockets and, whilev that is one of the important objects of my invention, the main ob ect is to arrange the folded strips of piece of fabric with two or more folds arranged so that they will face in opposite directions to form closed pockets at the folds, so that the wheel may be rotated in either direction with equal efliciency in retaining the abrasive material and distributing it evenly around the entire periphery of the wheel.

Another object-is to permit the use of relatively small pieces of fabric, which might otherwise be regarded as waste, although it is to be understood that the folded strips may be cut from whole cloth of any suitable quality, if desired.

Another object is to nest the folded strips of each layer one within the other preferably in parallelism from side to side and entirely across the wheel, not only for reinforcing purposes but also to further increase the uniform distribution of the abrasive substance around and upon the periphery of the wheel. Other objects and uses will be brought out in the following description.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a face view of a bufiing wheel embodying the features of my invention, a portion of the cover and next adjacent layer of folded strips being broken away to show the relation of the folded strips of one layer relatively to those of the next adjacent layer.

Figure 2 is an enlarged edge view of portions of four of the layers and one of the cover pieces before being stitched together, and in which the folds are shown more or less open to better indicate the nesting relation of the folded strips of each layer, the thickness of the folded strips being shown by single lines.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a portion of one of the folded strips.

Figure 4: is a plan of one of the rectangu- 75) LA J lar blank strips for making one of the foldv the drawings, it being understood that the facing pieces el-are applied to both sides or ends of the wheel for finishing purposes, the layers --land 2- of the folded sections 3- being placed one upon the other in succession and, together with the end layers -4i-, are firmly stitched together, preferably by concentric rows of stitching -5, Figure 1.

Each folded section 3-- is preferably made from a single rectangular piece or strip of'fabric, shown in part in Figure 4:, of sufficient length to extend to opposite edges of or entirely across the wheel when folded and nested one within the other as hereinafter more fully described, said strip or blank being of any suitable width less than the radius of the wheel and is adapted to be folded twice, once along a medial line w and again along a parallel line midway between the first fold and the free edges of the strip, or along the dotted lines a, Figure l, thereby producing additional ockets for the reception or retention of limited quantities of the abrasive material, which may beapplied to the periphery of the completed wheel as the latter is rotated.

The folded sections 3- for each laye are assembled with their folds --a-- facing in the same direction and nested one with in the other, while the' folds aface in an opposite direction, leaving the free edges of the strips facing in the same direction as the folds -a-.

That is, the folds -aof each section --3 are inserted in the fold of the nextadjacent section substantially half the width thereof, so that when assembled the folds -a and the free edges of each section will be disposed in a lane substantially coincident with the fol ed edge aof the second section therefrom in order that each layer may be as nearly as possible of uniform thickness throughout its area.

The several layers of the folded sections -3- are assembled. in such manner that the folds of alternate layers will be disposed at substantially-ri ht angles to each other, while the folds 0 each layer will be substantially parallel and uniform distances apart, so that when assembled together with the facing pieces -4 and stitched together, the entire assembly will be of substantially rectangular form, after which it may be cut into circular form and provided with a central opening 6- to receive a materially reducing the suitable support or mandrel, not shown, but

to which the wheel may be clamped in any well known manner for service in polishing or bu: ishing, it being understood that, after the wheel has been cut into circular form, an abrasive paste or other suitable substance may be applied to its periphery, while it is being rotated. 7

During this application of the abrasive material to the eriphery of the wheel, portions thereof lo ge in the several folds a-- and a as well as upon the peripheral surface of the wheel and will be gradually expelled from said folds or poclietsby centrifugal force and by contact with the article operated upon to replenish the surface abrasive as it becomes exhausted, thereby greatly increasing the length of service of the wheel after the abrasive has been. ap-

plied thereto.

The folds a" of each-section --3-- lie adjacent each other at the same edge of the section, and therefore, constitute a double fold which preferably faces in a direction opposite to that of the rotation of the wheel, and by arranging several layers so that the folds of each extend transversely of those of the next adjacent layer, or at right angles thereto, produces a succession of double pockets in the sever-ad layers which extend practically continuously around the entire periphery of said wheel, the single folds or pockets --a, which face in a direction opposite to that of the folds -a'- serving a similar phrpose'in establishing a succession of pockets entirely around the periphery of the wheel.

That is, when the wheel is rotated in the direction of the arrow --zv--, the folds or pockets a-- at one side of the wheel serve to catch and to hold theabrasive material, while the folds or pockets --aof the same sections at the opposite sides of the wheel serve a similar purpose, thus permitting the wheel to be rotated in either direction when buffing or burnishing with the assurance that there will be collecting pockets for the abrasive at both sides of the wheel and that they will be successively continuous throughout the periphery thereof, thereby greatly increasing the polishing efliciency with a minimum amount of the abrasive, while the crossing relation of the folds of the several alternate layers greatly increases the strength and resistance to ressure without exibility of its polishing surface. I

What I claim is:

1. In a bufiing wheel, a plurality of layers, each layer consistin of a series of folded pieces of fabric, the folds of all of the pieces of each layer being substantially parallel with each other and disposed at substantially right angles to those of the next adreams? jacent layer. and means for securing the several layers together against relative displacement.

the same direction and are parallel.

3. In a bufiing wheel, a series of folded strips having their folds facing in the same 10 direction and both ends of the folds of each strip in the periphery of the wheel to enable the wheel to be rotated in reverse directions with equal bufing efliciency.

In witness whereof ll have hereunto set my hand this 27th day of October, 1920.

PHILIP E. GOULEY.

Witnesses:

H. E. CHAsE, E. M. STRADENBURGH. 

